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Background: Previous systematic reviews have focused on associations between single time point measures of Body Mass Index (BMI) and asthma and allergic diseases. As BMI changes dynamically during childhood, examination of associations between longitudinal trajectories in BMI and allergic diseases is needed to fully understand the nature of these relationships. Objective: To systematically synthesise the association between BMI trajectories in childhood (0–18 years) and allergic diseases (asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis, or food allergies outcomes). Design: We conducted a systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines, and two independent reviewers assessed the study quality using the ROBINS‐E and GRADE tools. A narrative synthesis was performed as the statistical heterogeneity did not allow a meta‐analysis. Data Sources: A search was performed on PubMed and EMBASE databases on 4th January 2023. Eligibility Criteria: Longitudinal cohort studies assessing the associations between childhood BMI trajectories and allergic diseases were included. Results: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 37,690 participants between 0 and 53 years of age. Ten studies examined asthma outcomes, three assessed association with allergic rhinitis, two assessed eczema, and one assessed food allergy. High heterogeneity and high risk of bias were observed. Overall, the quality of evidence was very low. Nevertheless, two consistent findings were identified: (1) a persistently high BMI between 6 and 10 years of age may be associated with an increased risk of asthma at 18 years and (2) a rapid increase in BMI in the first 2 years of life may be associated with subsequent asthma. Conclusions: Maintaining a normal BMI trajectory during childhood may reduce the risk of asthma. Future research that adequately addresses confounding and includes longer‐term follow‐up is needed. Moreover, additional studies examining potential associations with eczema, food allergies, and allergic rhinitis outcomes are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Patients with cancer taking oral antineoplastic medications may encounter problems including suboptimal adherence as well as physical and psychological disease burden. Despite increase in the use of oncology pharmacy services, there are wide variations between healthcare professionals and patient perceptions of patients' medication experiences. The objective of the study was to explore the medication experience of taking oral targeted therapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Method: We purposively sampled advanced stage (stage III or IV) NSCLC patients taking epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) in a medical center in Taiwan. Face-to-face interviews using semi-structured interview guides were conducted. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis was applied. A phenomenological methodology was adopted to explore the underlying meaning of patients' lived experience. Results: A total of 19 participants with a mean age of 68.2 years were interviewed. The duration of EGFR-TKIs use ranged from 2 weeks to 5 years. When first learned about the unexpected yet 'treatable' cancer, participants expressed strong emotional responses based on their intrinsic beliefs of the terminal disease and therapy. They walked along an unfamiliar trail while confronting physical and psychological challenges and made compromises to treatment. Gaining experiences from cancer journey, patients with cancer continuously seek the ultimate goals–'return to normal'. Conclusions: This study also revealed medication experiences of participants' journey from seeking information in the initial phase and living with cancer, to taking back control of their own lives. Healthcare professionals could better empathize with patients' loss of control and understand their perspectives when making clinical decisions. These findings can guide interdisciplinary teams to integrate patients' beliefs and conduct pre-screening assessments of health literacy levels to tailor communication. Subsequent interventions should be developed to identify barriers to medication self-management and empower patients by building social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]